Latch



5 Sheets-Sheefi 1 May 16, 1950 1.. L. ANDERSON EI'AL LATCH Filed Nov. 18, 1946 s 0 T N E V an 50 R5 N w N F- m E B o, R

LLOYD L.

1 Filed Nov. 18, 1 94 6. s Sheets-Sheet 2 y 950 L. L. ANDERSON EI'AL 7 LATCH \uvamoas LLOYD. L. ANDERSON Rosam g donuson m M Arronnavs May 16, 1950- 1 L. ANDERSON ETAL 2,507,847

LATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 18, 1946 \uvamogs LLOYD L, Auoansou ROBERT E..doHNsoN Patented May 16, 1950 LATCH Lloyd L. Anderson and Robert E. Johnson, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Winters & Crampton Corporation, Grandville, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November 18, 1946, Serial No. 710,580

8 Claims. I

The present invention is directed to improvements in latches particularly designed for use on refrigerators and provides a structure which will accomplish a tight sealing of the door, better than previously, and the door is closed by exertion of a relatively light pressure and a more effective overcoming the sealing gasket resistance which resistance progressively increases as the door approaches more and more closely to its final closed position.

This invention is directed to simplification and bettering of the latch structure, eliminating parts and reducing the cost of manufacture together with decrease in bearing and other parts subject to wear; and furthermore, providing a latch structure in which the latch may be tripped when the door is being closed without the use of a specially designed keeper to accomplish such purpose, but using a regular and standard form of keeper which is adjustable in two directions, one parallel to the face of the refrigerator and the other perpendicular thereto so that by a simple structural means, the keeper may be adjusted for any and all conditions met in conjunction with the latch bolt engaging therewith. Further, the improved structure of the present invention simplifies and makes more economical the handle and the operating means in conjunction therewith for retracting the latch bolt. The latch which has been thus provided is simpler, more durable, more economical to manufacture and is more perfect for the service which it is designed to perform. I

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a fragmentary horizontal section through the vertical free edge of a hinged door to which the latch is applied, and the adjacent portion of the door casing or jamb on which the keeper is secured, said latch structure being shown substantially in plan with parts in section and the keeper in horizontal section.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the latch, substantially on the plane of line 2--2 of Fig. 5 with the latch bolt shown in position which it should occupy when the door on which it is mounted is about to be closed.

Fig. 3 is a similar section substantially on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 5, with the latch bolt engaging against the outer inclined side of'the head of the keeper in the closing of a door, wherein the bolt has been inadvertently or accidently dislodged from its proper normal door open position, as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the latch which is mounted upon the door.

Fig. 5 is an inner end elevation thereof, and

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section substantially on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings, and the sections are taken looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

A conventional refrigerator door of the present day mechanical refrigerator has an interior heat insulating body I covered at its outer side by a sheet metal covering 2 which is properly finished at its outer surface and an inner plastic lining 3. Around the free vertical edge portion of a hinged refrigerator door and at its upper and lower horizontal edges, at its inner side a sealing gasket 4 is secured, said gasket being of a suitable compressible cushioning material, generally of a rubber composition. When the door is closed the gasket comes against the front of the vertical and upper and lower sides of the refrigerator casing. It, similar to the door, has an interior body 5 of suitable heat insulating material, an outer metallic covering 6 and an inner lining I.

At the front side of the side of the refrigerator casing opposite that where the door is hinged, a latch holding keeper is mounted. As shown in Fig. l, a plate 8 of metal secured to the refrigerator casing at its outer side is formed with a consecutive series of closely spaced vertical teeth or serrations. A bracket member 9 formin a part of the keeper has a side formed with a complementary series of serrations and the parts 8 and 9 are adjustably connected together by a screw, as shown. An outwardly extending wall of the bracket 9 at its inner side is provided with a consecutive series of vertical serrations located in a plane at right angles to those on the other wall of the bracket. The keeper head It provided at its outer side with complementary serrations is connected to said outwardly extending wall of the bracket 9 by a screw and may be adjusted to different positions. Said head has an outer inclined surface and an inner surface which substantially parallels the face of the refrigerator casing on which the keeper is secured, the head being of a generally triangular shape, as shown. Back of it an end of the latch bolt engages when the door is closed and latched. It is apparent that the keeper may be adjusted in two directions at right angles to each other so as to best conform to the conditions set up by a latch bolt mounted upon the door and which is to engage therewith.

At the place at the free vertical edge of the door where the latch is to be mounted, the body I is cut away to provide a recess or space H, the latch being concealed within the door within such space. The cover and lining 2 and 3 are formed in shape as shown in section with a depression in the lining 3 for the entrance of the keeper and with an opening through said lining for the projection of the bolt to engage with the keeper.

In the latch structure a support for the latch bolt is made from a single piece of flat metal, having two parallel spaced sides |2 which are integrally connected at their outer edges by integral cross members [3 spaced from each other, one at the inner ends of the sides I2 and the other between their ends. At the outer ends of the side l2 they are narrowed in width and bent inwardly toward each other for a short distance at l4 and then re-bent to provide two spaced apart curved arms 15 spaced from each other a lesser distance than the sides 12. Said arms l at their inner edges and toward their free ends have each an inturned tongue Ii (Fig. 5), the two tongues overlapping and secured together by spot welding, riveting or other equivalent permanent connection. The arms i5 at their free ends terminate in laterally turned ears l1 through which screws pass for connection to the inturned flange of the cover 2. The inturned portions II are continued integral with the outer ends of the sides i2 and formed into an are shaped flange 3 approximateiy of 90 degrees, then reversely bent in a sharp bend at i3, continued in a second arc bend 23 of a smaller radius but also approximating 90 degrees, and terminating in the flanges 2| at right angles to the parts l4. Tongues 22 are struck inwardly from the sides i2 at the places shown (Fig. '1).

The latch bolt is similarly made of a single piece of flat metal in substantially channel form having an inner web 23 and spaced flanges or sides 24 extending outwardly therefrom at right angles. Said sides 24 are extended in arms 25 beyond the outer edge of the web 23. The arms 25 are bent toward each other and between their free ends a roller 25 is mounted for turning. The web 23 is narrowed in width at its free edge and is continued at 21 at an acute angle to the length of the bolt between said sides l2 but separated therefrom at its side edges, terminating at its outer free end in a ledge 23. The sides 24 of the bolt extend outwardly at each side of the ledge 24 in flngers or guards 23, as shown. From the web 23 between its ends, a tongue 33 is struck outwardly. The sides are provided with two alined slots 3| and u, the latter of less width than the former located in allnement parallel to the length of the bolt and with closed ends. The slots 3| are outwardly of and spaced from the slots 32.

Within the bolt thus provided a spring actuating mechanism therefor is located. It includes two bars 33 of flat metal, located side by side for a distance and secured together at their outer portions, and bent outwardly substantially at their middle portions for a short distance, and thence extending in parallelism to each other. At the outer ends of the bars they are formed with heads 34. Between the inner ends thereof, a roller 35 is mounted. Said bars between their ends and nearer the roller than the head have longitudinal slots 33, preferably with a continuous outwardly extending short flange on each of the bars 33 surrounding the slots.

A rod or shaft 31 extends through the slots 33 and 32 and through the sides l2 of the bolt support previously described, being headed over at its ends for permanent connection (Figs. 4 and 5). Between the sides 24 of the bolt and the sides i2 of the bolt support, spacing collars 38 are located around the rod 31. A torsion spring made from a single length of spring wire has two intermediate series of coils 33, one around each of said collars and between said coils a U-shaped portion 40 of the spring bears against the inner side of the tongue 30. The free end arms 4| of the spring extend from the coils to and lie against the inner side of the innermost transverse connecting member i3 of the bolt support. Such spring is of a relatively light strength and acts normally to tilt the bolt about the axis of the pin 31 and to thrust it in an outward direction (Figs. 2 and 3).

A strong coiled compression spring 42 surrounds the bars 33, one end bearing against the rod 31 and the other against the shoulder formed at the inner sides of the heads 34. A shaft 43 passes through the head portions 34 of the bar and through spacing sleeves 44 between the sides of the bolt and rollers 45 which are connected at the ends of the shaft, said sleeves extending through the wider slots 3| in the bolt sides 24. The rollers lie immediately within the sides l2 of the bolt support and may, in one position of the bolt, bear against the flanges heretofore described at the bends at 23 (Fig. 2); and against tongues 22 when the bolt is depressed. The bolt will be held in such position by the pressure of the spring 42 which acts through the shaft 43 and the spacing sleeves 44 which thrust against the ends of the slots 3| in the bolt sides.

As shown in Fig. l the housing support for the tiltable bolt is concealed within the door back of the outer covering. At the outer side of said covering a base member 45 upon which the handle is pivotally mounted, is connected to the door by means of screws 41 which have a screw connection with the parts |3 of the latch bolt support. The handle 43 has a web at one end which is pivotally mounted upon the base member 43 on a pivot 53, associated with which and the handle and base is a torsion spring 5| which will normally. hold the handle in substantial parallelism to the face of the door. From the web a flnger 52 projects inwardly through an opening in the outer door covering. The flnger comes in front of the roller 35 and passes between the spaced inner end portions of the bars 33.

In Fig. l, the bolt is shown engaged with the keeper head I. and forced into engagement by the heavy spring 42. While the force Of the spring 42 may progressively diminish as the spring is elongated, there is a compensating increasing of the leverage in the distance through which the force of the spring works, such that the gasket 4 is increasingly subject to compression as the door approaches and reaches its flnal closed sealed position.

To release the door for opening, the handle 43 is pulled upon outwardly, swinging the finger 52 clockwise, and retracting the bars 33 and rollers 45 and compressing the spring 42. This relieves the bolt 24 of the spring action and permits the door to be opened whereupon the bolt will be swung by engagement with the keeper to the unlatched position shown in Pig. 2 and held in this cocked position by the rollers 45 resting in the flange portions 20. In such movement, the bolt is tilted substantially to the position shown in Pig. 2. When the door is closed with the bolt thus positioned, the finger at 29 coming to the outer end of the head ll) of the keeper and striking thereagainst, causes tilting of the latch bolt about the pin 31 to disengage rollers 45 from seating at 20 against the bolt support, freeing the bolt for movement of the roller 26 into engagement with th keeper head and with the rollers 45 partly entering the recesses provided at the bends at l8. This movement of the rollers 45 against the flanges l8 swings the bolt 24 downwardly about the pin 31 and in its arc of movement the roller 26 moves outwardly relative to the door and into engagement with the keeper ID.

If the latch bolt, for any reason, is not in the cocked position, shown in Fig. 2, when the door is swung closed. the roller 26 will engage against the inclined outer side of the keeper head and through a wedging or cummin action, the bolt is forced in the direction of its length against the spring 42, compressing it until the roller passes by the keeper head so that it may come against the inner side thereof, which .movement will occur under the released force of spring 42 which forces the roller into proper latching engagement.

The construction, upon its building and full and complete test thereof, has proved very practical and useful. ture, comprising a minimum of parts, all of which are economically produced in large quantity production. The assembly is simple and easily accomplished at low cost. The latch is very effective to serve the purposes for which it has been designed and is of long life.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

We claim:

1. In a latch structure a support of flat metal having spaced parallel sides and transverse members connecting the sides at one edge thereof, said sides of the support each having inturned flanges for a portion of their length, said flanges being disposed at the opposite edges of said sides and continued therefrom in two spaced arc shaped sections connected by a reverse are shaped section and thence continued at the adjacent ends of said sides at right angles to the first mentioned portions of said flanges, a latch bolt having two spaced apart sides connected at one edge by a transverse web located between the sides of the support, said sides of the latch bolt having alined longitudinal slots therein, and said sides of the latch bolt at the end thereof adiacent said flanges and at a corner thereof having a projecting keeper engaging element, a rod per manently secured to and extending between the sides of the support passing through one of said alined slots in each of the sides of said latch bolt, 2. bar located lengthwise of and between the sides of the latch bolt, said bar having a longitudinal slot toward one end thereof through which said rod passes, a transverse shaft extending through the other end of the bar and through the other of the alined slots in the sides of the latch bolt, rollers at the ends of said shaft at the outer sides of the sides of the latch bolt adapted to engage with said flanges on the support, said bar at its opposite end extending beyond the adjacent end of the latch bolt, means mounted at said endof the bar adapted to be manually operated and pulled upon to move said bar, and a compression spring around the bar seated at one end against said rod, and at the other end against said bar resisting such movement.

It is economical to manufac- 2. A structure as defined in claim 1, said transverse web at the keeper engaging end 01' the latch bolt having, a portion continued therefrom at an angle to said web and separated from the sides of the bolt, said portion being located between said sides of the bolt and terminating in an outwardly turned ledge spaced from said keeper engaging element.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1, and a torsion spring mounted upon said rod extending between the sides of the support, having arms extending therefrom bearing respectively against the support and said latch bolt tending to move the bolt in a direction toward the edges of the support sides connected by said transverse member.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1, said bar located between the sides of the latch bolt comprising, two fiat members located side by side at the inner portions thereof between the sides of the bolt and permanently secured together, the opposite end portions thereof being spaced from each other a short distance and extending in parallelism beyond the adjacent end of the latch bolt, and a roller mounted between the ends of said spaced portions.

5. A structure as defined in claim 1, said bar located between the sides of the latch bolt at the end thereof extending beyond the adjacent end of said bolt havin a transverse roller mounted thereon, and a pivotally mounted handle having a finger located at the inner side of said roller, said finger pressing against the roller and retracing the bolt against its spring on pivotally turning the handle in one direction.

6. In a latch structure, a support adapted to be mounted upon a door and having spaced sides, a latch bolt located within the support, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said bolt on the support adjacent one end thereof, said latch bolt having a keeper engaging element at its opposite end, a bar longitudinally disposed adjacent said latch bolt extending at one end beyond the end of the latch bolt, means for slidably mounting the bar on said bolt and support for longitudinal movement, spring means associated with the bar for moving the bolt in one direction, means for engaging with the projecting end of the bar to move it in the opposite direction, and means on the support to hold the bolt in a fixed position with respect to the support until disengaged therefrom by longitudinal movement of said bar against said spring means.

'7'. A construction as defined in claim 6, said bolt at its keeper engagin end having a projecting member extending therefrom, spaced from the keeper engaging element adapted to engage a keeper to trip the bolt and move it from its held position to a keeper engaging position.

8. In a latch structure, a support adapted to be mounted upon a door and having two spaced apart sides, a latch bolt located between said sides of the support, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said bolt on the support adjacent one end thereof, said latch bolt having spaced apart sides, a keeper engaging element at the opposite end of the latch bolt, a, bar disposed longitudinally within said bolt, means for slidably mounting said bar for longitudinal movement with respect to the bolt, spring means associated with said bar for normally holding said bolt in one position in which it is adapted to engage with a keeper, a pivotally mounted handle, means connected with the handle and in operative engagement with said bar for moving the bar longitudinally, said end of the latch bolt to which the REFERENCES CITED keeper engaging element is located having a Th f n i projecting portion extending therefrom in the me gf i are of record in the same direction as the keeper engaging element spaced therefrom and adapted to strike against 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS a keeper when the latch is mounted on a door, Number Name Date in the closing thereof, to trip the bolt for keeper 2,385,961 Anderson Oct. 2, 1945 engagement, and means for holding the bolt in keeper disengaging position after it has been moved into such position by handle operation. 10

LLOYD L. ANDERSON. ROBERT E. JOHNSON. 

